


Undercover

by AnonLife



Series: Miraculous Starts [10]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/F, Fat Marinette, Friends to Lovers, Self-Sacrifice, Stress Eating, Time Travel, Undercover, Weight Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:53:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23662639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonLife/pseuds/AnonLife
Summary: In the wake of her expulsion and the events of Miracle Queen, Marinette makes a drastic decision to hide her identity and better prepare herself in the war against Hawkmoth.Little did she know, one person immediately saw through her disguise.
Relationships: Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kagami Tsurugi
Series: Miraculous Starts [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/731706
Comments: 1
Kudos: 77





	Undercover

“You’ve changed,” Kagami noted as she took a small sip of juice. “I can understand why no one recognized you.”

Bridgette narrowed her eyes dangerously, biting perhaps a tad viciously into her éclair. “Was that supposed to be a jab at my weight?”

The fencer shook her head lightly before clarifying, “You’ve become so much more decisive. Responsible…” A smirk danced across her lips. “If I had known a few dozen kilos could have such an effect, I would have been obligated as your friend to help.”

A dark look crossed the curvy woman’s face as she absentmindedly danced her nails along her wide hips, the last few years flashing through her mind, “I would have been happy if all I lost was my figure. At least, I made that choice for myself.”

Kagami frowned at the bitterness in her friend’s tone. “I never got to hear the full story. You disappeared and Adrien wasn’t very helpful after I brought up the liar.”

For a moment, the two women sat in a tense silence as one debated whether she could really trust the other. So much time alone and the sacrifices she needed to make along the way. 

“Do you really want to know?”

With no hesitation, Kagami replied, “Marinette, you are and always will be my friend. Let me share your burden at your side.”

Sighing, the revealed woman took another bite of her pastry before sitting up straighter.

“My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, holder of the Ladybug Miraculous, and the Last Guardian of the Miraculous.”

Shaking her head slightly, the dark haired girl did not react much to the revelation.

“I didn’t realize the Ladybug Miraculous could make such a convincing illusion. It’s wonders truly never cease,” Kagami noted, nodding her head at her companion. “If I didn’t know better now, I would have guessed you to be 3 years older and at least 100 kilograms.”

Laughing lightly, the young woman waved her hand playfully, “Who said this is the illusion? Ladybug is locked in my first transformation. But Marinette? She celebrated her 17th birthday a few weeks ago and weighed in on the wrong side of 120 kilos.”

Taken aback, the fencer couldn’t help but let her mouth drop, “How…”

Shrugging, the bluenette gestured at the empty plate of pastries nearby. “My kwami has a sweet tooth. Living in a bakery, it was hard enough to resist the temptation without always needing a fresh supply nearby. Pretty sure I gained 5 kilos my first year as Ladybug from the stress. Keeping myself quiet around Lila? I tripled that number in half the time.”

Frowning, the temporary dragon holder connected the dots. “And if you take three months here to be three years for you, that’s even more stress than I can imagine.”

“Yes and no,” the older teen acknowledged. “As the Guardian, I must remain hidden, but I still have to find Hawkmoth. The only way to stay close was for Marinette, the aspiring fashion designer, to be as different as possible from Bridgette, the volunteer teacher’s aide... When people can’t look past the fat arse, they tend to ignore what’s right in front of them.”

Pausing for a moment, the curvy young woman gestured to herself. “I am curious, how did you figure out who I am? No pigtails, color contacts and glasses to hide my eyes. Not to mention my age and less than ideal figure. Even my parents haven’t realized that ‘Cousin Bridgette’ is actually their daughter.”

Kagami smiled softly and motioned to her hair. “I told you once before that I thought your hair looked beautiful when it was down. While the class was busy gossipping about ‘your fat arse’, I couldn’t help but see my friend.”

Unable to hold down her blush, Marinette averted her eyes. “How did you end up in Madame Bustier’s class? I wasn’t expecting to see you there.”

Accepting the abrupt topic change, the talented fencer replied, “After you were expelled, there was an opening. I didn’t feel right about taking your place, but my mother insisted so I could remain close to Adrien.”

The older teen nodded in understanding. It made sense to her that the elder Tsurugi would take advantage to strengthen the family ties with the Agreste Family.

“What happened after you were expelled? Adrien told me he was too late to fix everything and your parents sent you away before I knew you were gone... Why didn’t you come to me for help?” Kagami asked, unable to keep the hurt out of her voice.

Reaching over to grab the other girl’s hand, Marinette assured, “I was expelled on Tuesday and by Thursday, Chloé had betrayed us to Hawkmoth. There was no time to get help… Honestly, I didn’t even really say goodbye to my parents before I jumped through time…”

Frowning, Kagami squeezed her friend’s hand. “Promise me you won’t leave again without me.”

For the first time in three years, Marinette felt her burden become a little lighter.

“I won’t.”

**Author's Note:**

> Random idea that came to mind a while ago. Couldn't quite figure out where to start it, but this scene played out in my head even though some of the details could not have happened canonically, i.e. the hair down scene after the expulsion but before the fix-it. Just assume it played out earlier and separately from Miracle Queen.
> 
> Figured I'd post this after reading the other body dysmorphia fic that's up.
> 
> General themes would have been:  
> 1\. Stress eating due to constant access to pastries and having to stay quiet around Lila leading to a deliberate change a la Clark Kent Effect.  
> 2\. A need to stay close to the school due to Marinette's suspicions about Lila and the failed mass akumatization during the Ladybug episode.  
> 3\. Taking advantage of the transformation power up that comes from being more adult.


End file.
